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Mark Cephalos
| image = | reality = | aliases = | type = | alignment = | status = | race = | gender = | nationality = | occupation = | affiliation = | dob = 29 yrs pre-1972 The source material indicates that Mark Cephalos was not yet thirty. | pob = | dod = 1972 | pod = Hollywood, Los Angeles, California | boo = Los Angeles, California | height = | weight = | eyes = | hair = Bald | relatives = | first = ''Werewolf by Night'', Volume 1 #2 | final = ''Werewolf by Night'', Volume 1 #2 | creators = Gerry Conway; Mike Ploog | actor = }} Mark Cephalos was a minor character and antagonist featured in the ''Werewolf by Night'' comic book series. He made a single appearance in ''Werewolf by Night'', Volume 1 #2. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists Mike Ploog and Frank Chiaramonte. Biography Mark Cephalos was born with dwarfism - a condition that made him the subject of great ridicule among others. To distract himself, he focused his attention on science. By the time he was thirty he had already earned three doctorates. Mark actually developed a process that cured his condition, making him tall and strong. However, the process had unforeseen and traumatic side-effects. Mark eventually discovered that the cure was actually worse than the "disease" as he had developed a terminal illness. When science couldn't yield all the necessary answers to his condition, he turned towards the supernatural. Mark learned about a Los Angeles teenager named Jack Russell who had inherited the curse of lycanthropy - a condition that involuntary turned him into a werewolf three nights out of every month. Mark believed that if he could somehow transfer the mystical energy from the creature into himself he could somehow cure his ailment. With the help of a henchman named Louis, mark constructed two energy transfer pods in private laboratory just outside of California. He sought out Jack Russell and found him living in Venice Beach with a man named Buck Cowan. After keeping him under surveillance, Mark eventually introduced himself to Jack, alluding to the fact that he knew about his condition and wanted to speak with him privately. Jack agreed to meet him, but when he entered the older man's car, Cephalos incapacitated him with knock-out gas. When Jack came to he found himself hooked up to a machine designed to siphon the supernatural energy out of him and transfer it directly into Cephalos. Cephalos revealed to Jack the fact that he was dying and how the energy he would take from the werewolf might cure him. Louis activated the device just as Jack transformed into werewolf form. He broke free and began fighting up against Mark's henchman while Cephalos remained in the energy pod. Minutes passed, but the process appeared to be a success. Mark emerged from the tube with renewed health and vigor. Bursting with strength, he charged at the werewolf and the two began exchanging blows. Mark's power was so intensified that he was actually able to stun the werewolf with only a few well-placed punches. He decided to let him live and left the laboratory with Louis. Louis piloted a helicopter and began to fly away from the lab, but the werewolf dove into the cabin, destroying the controls, sending the chopper veering off-course. Louis was unable to right the helicopter in time and it crashed into the Hollywood Hills. Both Mark Cephalos and Louis were killed instantly. Abilities Powers * Superhuman strength: Following the experiment, Mark temporarily developed enhanced strength bordering on superhuman levels. His strength level was equitible to that of Jack Russell in his standard werewolf form. * Superhuman durability: Following the experiment, Mark temporarily benefitted from increased durability. His resistance to physical damage was enough that when the werewolf raked his throat, his claws did not pierce his skin. Skills Mark Cephalos was a scientific genius having earned three Ph.D.s before he was even thirty. His exact arena of scientific expertise remains unclear. It would stand to reason that Mark at least had a comprehensive understanding of biochemistry. Weaknesses Mark Cephalos suffered from an incurable disease which developed as a side-effect of the experiment he performed on himself to cure his dwarfism. Equipment Mark Cephalos owned various laboratory equipment including twin containment pods with a conduit designed for dispersing/transferring bio-electric energy. Weaponry Mark Cephalos had knock-out gas injectors installed into a special control panel in his car - a most effective tool for one looking to abduct an unsuspecting victim who steps into the vehicle. To protect himself from the gas, Mark had special gas masks in place inside the vehicle as well. Notes & Trivia * Mark Cephalos made an appearance in reprint in ''Essential Werewolf by Night'', Volume 1. * Cephalos is also the name of a semi-aggressive fish-monster in the Piscine family featured in the game Monster Hunter. Appearances * ''Werewolf by Night'', Volume 1 #2 * ''Essential Werewolf by Night'', Volume 1 See also External links * Mark Cephalos at MDP * Mark Cephalos at Comic Collector Live References ---- Category:1972 character introductions Category:1972 publishing deaths Category:Scientific experiments